Sopa de lima
The most famous soup of the Yucatán peninsula, made with lima agria — a local sour lime with a bitter, floral aroma. The chicken broth is scented with cloves, cinnamon and allspice, a trace of Maya and Spanish colonial influences. Two things decide the flavour: the lime goes in off the heat, since boiled it turns bitter, and the tortilla strips go on at the table, just before eating.
Your own work in that: 5 min.
- Chicken broth 40 min
- Vegetables 20 min
- Tortilla strips 10 min
- Lime 5 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneChar the onion and garlic over a flame
Char the onion in its skin and the whole head of garlic directly over a flame or in a dry pan, until blackened in places. A Maya technique — charred vegetables give the broth a smoky, sweetish note.
Ingredients: 4 pcs chicken legs · 2000 ml water · 1 pcs onion · 1 pcs garlic · 3 pcs cloves · 1 pcs cinnamon · 4 pcs allspice · 1 tsp oregano · 2 tsp salt
Simmer the chicken with the spices
Cover the legs with cold water, add the charred vegetables, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, oregano and salt and simmer 35–40 minutes, until the meat leaves the bone. The warm spices should be barely noticeable, not dominant.
Ingredients: 4 pcs chicken legs · 2000 ml water · 1 pcs onion · 1 pcs garlic · 3 pcs cloves · 1 pcs cinnamon · 4 pcs allspice · 1 tsp oregano · 2 tsp salt
Clove, cinnamon, allspice — barely there, not dominant.Shred the meat and strain the broth
Lift out the chicken, pull the meat into long shreds with forks and discard skin and bones. Strain the broth. It should be clear and golden — the base of the whole soup.
Ingredients: 4 pcs chicken legs · 2000 ml water · 1 pcs onion · 1 pcs garlic · 3 pcs cloves · 1 pcs cinnamon · 4 pcs allspice · 1 tsp oregano · 2 tsp salt
Fry the vegetables
In the oil fry the finely chopped onion, pepper and tomatoes 8–10 minutes, until soft. Pour in the strained broth, add the whole habanero and simmer 10 minutes. A whole habanero gives aroma, not heat.
Ingredients: 1 pcs onion · 1 pcs green pepper · 2 pcs tomatoes · 1 pcs habanero chilli · 2 tbsp oil
A whole habanero — aroma without the burn.Fry the tortilla strips
Cut the tortillas into 1 cm strips and fry in batches in hot oil 1–2 minutes, until golden. Drain on paper and salt. They must be crisp as crisps — they give the soup its contrast.
Ingredients: 4 pcs limes · 6 pcs corn tortillas · 150 ml oil for frying · 4 tbsp coriander · 1 pcs avocado
Crisp as crisps — a contrast for the clear broth.Return the chicken to the soup
Remove the habanero and add the shredded chicken to the soup. Heat 5 minutes. Season with salt — the broth should be well seasoned, since the lime is about to dominate.
Ingredients: 4 pcs chicken legs · 2000 ml water · 1 pcs onion · 1 pcs garlic · 3 pcs cloves · 1 pcs cinnamon · 4 pcs allspice · 1 tsp oregano · 2 tsp salt
Add the lime off the heat
Take off the heat and stir in the juice of three limes and a few thin slices. Long-boiled lime peel turns bitter and the juice loses its freshness. Off the heat it gives a fresh, floral acidity.
Ingredients: 4 pcs limes · 6 pcs corn tortillas · 150 ml oil for frying · 4 tbsp coriander · 1 pcs avocado
Serve with tortilla and coriander
Ladle into bowls, lay a handful of tortilla strips on top just before eating, scatter with coriander and add a slice of avocado. The strips soften in the broth within two minutes — that is the charm.
Ingredients: 4 pcs limes · 6 pcs corn tortillas · 150 ml oil for frying · 4 tbsp coriander · 1 pcs avocado
Before you start
Lima agria and substitutes
Yucatán lima agria is a small sour lime with a bitter, faintly grapefruit aroma, unavailable outside Mexico. Lime juice with a little grapefruit juice comes closest.
The turkey version
In Yucatán sopa de lima is also made with turkey, a bird domesticated in Mesoamerica. Turkey gives a deeper, slightly sweeter broth — try it with a turkey thigh.
Broth three days, lime fresh
The broth with vegetables and meat keeps three days in the fridge. Always add the lime and tortilla just before serving — lime reheated with the soup turns bitter and the tortilla goes soggy.
